The Exterminating Angel

Sublime absurdity rules supreme in 1962's The Exterminating Angel, Luis Buñuel's masterful assault on upper-class bourgeois manners. Like any of Buñuel's challenging masterpieces (including his previous Viridiana [VL Online-1/07]), this one offers a compelling change of pace for viewers accustomed to conventional storytelling. Into his senior years at the time this was made—but still in his prime with several of his best films yet to come—playful surrealist Buñuel offers up a wonderfully nonsensical scenario in which guests at an elegant dinner party discover that, once the dinner is over, they simply cannot leave the room. Of course, there is no discernible reason, and like the guests, the viewer is trapped in Buñuel's unique universe, where logic gives way to a wickedly comical takedown of upper-class frivolity. The Exterminating Angel is hardly suitable for all tastes, but those open to Buñuel's peculiar brand of intellectual provocation may well find this to be a tremendously rewarding watch. The Criterion Collection's two-disc special edition includes the superb new 2008 documentary The Last Script: Remembering Luis Buñuel, in which Buñuel's son Juan (also a director) and long-time collaborator/screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière reminisce as they visit locations central to Buñuel's life and films; interviews from 2006 with actress Silvia Pinal and filmmaker Arturo Ripstein, both of whom knew Buñuel well; and a booklet featuring an essay on The Exterminating Angel by scholar Marsha Kinder, and a revealing interview with Buñuel. Highly recommended. (J. Shannon)[Blu-ray Review—Dec. 13, 2016—Criterion, 93 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1962's The Exterminating Angel features a fine transfer and a monaural soundtrack. Extras are identical to the previous Criterion DVD release, including the 2008 documentary “The Last Script: Remembering Luis Buñuel” on the director (98 min.), 2006 interviews with filmmaker Arturo Ripstein (15 min.) and star Silvia Pinal (11 min.), a trailer, and a booklet. Bottom line: an excellent Blu-ray edition of Buñuel's satirical classic.]